Weight Stigma
Due to increased social media use and as a result, an increase in exposure to cultural messages about thinness, the morality of food, and what bodies are seen as valuable, weight stigma (sometimes referred to as weight bias) is a serious concern for post-secondary students.
According to the National Alliance of Eating Disorders, “Food morality is when we intentionally or unintentionally categorize food as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ which in essence assigns a moral value to food. It can also extend to considering foods as ‘clean’ or ‘organic’ and by contrast ‘junk’ or ‘fatty’. This tells us that if we eat the foods that are ‘good’ then we are ‘good’ and our behaviours are also ‘good’. But if we eat foods that are ‘bad’ then we are ‘being bad’ and our behaviours are ‘bad’.”
For more information about the morality of food and how it contributes to weight stigma and the upholding of cultural ideas that contribute to the prevalence of eating disorders see this article:
Tips for Removing Morality from Food
– National Alliance for Eating Disorders
Sonneville et al. (2024) defines weight stigma as the “social devaluation and denigration of people perceived to carry excess weight” (p. 260) and can include more overtly violent forms of abuse, such as harassment and bullying, and less overt forms of mistreatment like social ostracism, structural/ systemic discrimination such as inaccessible spaces (e.g., classroom seating), effective interventions not being researched on those in larger bodies (i.e., emergency contraception), or treatment being withheld (i.e. gender affirming care). Sonneville et al. (2024) also found that those with marginalized identities were disproportionately more likely to be affected by weight stigma.
For more information about weight stigma and building weight inclusive spaces on campus see Representation in the Classroom – Body Liberation + Public Health Project
(Edwards-Gayfield, 2024)
Weight stigma is found to be consistently associated with poorer mental health – particularly increased anxiety, depression, and disordered eating (Sonneville et al., 2024). Cisgender female and queer students are identified as being particularly susceptible to mental health challenges related to weight stigma (Sonneville et al., 2024).
Individuals of all body sizes may experience interpersonal weight-related mistreatment such as bullying, unwanted comments, assumptions about one’s health. However, individuals in larger bodies are substantially more likely to experience structural weight stigma. As experiences of weight stigma increase, so too does their risk for psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety and depression (Christian et al., 2023).
Recommendation
 | Learn about weight stigma, how it shows up in our daily lives, and how it can perpetuate risky eating behaviours in students. |